How far will a loom band stretch?

Following on from our post about patterns and measuring with loom bands, we've devised a little activity to investigate what happens when you add weight to different types of loom bands.

What you need:

• Different types of loom bands to test, we used a normal band, a fishtail and a starburst.
• A ruler
• A weight
• Somewhere to record your results

Have a think about what you expect the results to be, which band do you think will stretch the least? Does this mean it's the strongest?

Method

• Decide on a set distance to test, we used 6 cm. Place two sticks at each end, we used a wooden spoon and a loom band hook.

• Add a weight to one end and measure the length of the loom band between the two points.

Compare the results for the three different types of bands, do the results match your expectations? We found the normal loom band stretched the most, which was what we expected as this is the band with the least number of bands so we thought would be the weakest and stretchiest.

Extension Activities

Can you vary the weight? Does more weight mean the bands stretch further?

How much weight does it take to snap the bands?

Suitable for Key Stage 1 Science

Brilliant for starting to learn investigative skills.

Properties of Materials.

Last Updated on April 5, 2016 by Emma Vanstone